my girlfriends

We call our group xoxo girls :) yeah! we’re awesome .

i love them and i will miss them :>

thediaryofayoungman:

10 QUESTIONS FOR A TAHO VENDOR.

Taho has been a part of the Filipino culture. A magtatahô carries two large aluminum buckets that hang from each end of yoke. One of the buckets (the larger one) carries the tofu base; the other, smaller bucket holds the arnibal and sago “pearls”.

Earlier, I was fortunate to have a taste of this sweet treat. Furthermore, I was also able to interview one of the thousand taho vendors in our country. Everyone, meet Kuya Jun.

QUESTION 1: Kuya, paano po ba ginagawa ung taho? (How do you make taho?)

KUYA JUN:  Ah, maraming ginagawa para makagawa ng taho. Gumagamit ng sariwang soya. Tapos pinapalambot iyon. Ung arnibal, asukal na brown ang ginagamit. Pinapainit ung asukal para maging syrup. Ung sago naman, kadalasan, binibili sa palengke. (There are many steps in making taho. You need to use fresh soya and process that until it becomes soft. Brown sugar is caramelized to create the syrup. The sago, we vendors, often buy that at the wet market.)

QUESTION 2: Grabe naman po pala. Mga ilang oras niyo po ba ginagawa iyon? (It is really time consuming. For how many hours do you make taho?)

KUYA JUN: Matagal din. Kasi ung soya beans, ibinababad sa tubig yan ng matagal. Overnight, puede na. Bago magmadaling araw, ginagawa na ung arnibal tapos, bumubili na ng sago. (It requires much time because of the soya beans. Soya beans are soaked in water, overnight. Before dawn, the syrup is made. Taho vendors then flock to the wet market to buy sago.)

QUESTION 3: Napansin ko po, ang laki po ng mga lalagyan. Hindi po ba sumasakit ung braso ninyo sa pagbuhat? (I’ve noticed, the cans are too big. Does your shoulder hurt since you carry this most of the time?)

KUYA JUN: Sanayan lang naman iyan, hijo. Minsan, sumasakit pero nasa paraan ng pagbuhat iyan. Kapag mali kasi ang buhat, puede kang mapilayan. (You get used to it. Sometimes, my shoulder hurt. You may get shoulder injury if you carry the cans improperly.)

QUESTION 4: Mga nakakamagkano po kayo bawat araw? (How much do you earn a day for selling taho?)

KUYA JUN: Daan lang, minsan kapag pinalad, may libo. Depende kasi kung saan ako mapapadpad. Kapag araw ng pasok, maraming estudyante ang bumubili, lalo na kapag umaga at sa bandang hapon. (I earn a few hundreds. If I’m lucky, I am able to earn more than a thousand. It depends on the place I sell taho. During weekdays, students are my top consumer. They buy taho during the morning and mid-afternoon)

QUESTION 5: Ganoon po pala iyon. May pamilya po ba kayo? (Interesting. Do you have a family?)

KUYA JUN: Oo naman. May asawa’t mga anak ako. Yung panganay ko, malapit na magtapos ng high school. Ung isa naman, kakagraduate lang ng elementary nung nakaraang taon. Nagtutulong kami ng asawa ko para mataguyod ang pamilya. Sa awa ng Diyos, nagkakasya naman ang kita naming dalawa sa pang araw-araw. (Yes. I have my wife and we were blessed with two children. The eldest is about to graduate high school and the younger one just graduated middle school last year. My wife and I are hand-in-hand in providing the needs of our family. Thank God our daily income suffices our needs.)

QUESTION 6: Ano po trabaho ng asawa ninyo? (What does you wife do for a living?)

KUYA JUN: Namamasukan siya. Minsan, tumatanggap ng labada. (She works as a maid and sometimes accepts laundry.)

QUESTION 7: Kapag po hindi kayo nakakapaglako para sa taho, ano po ung ginagawa ninyo? (If you weren’t able to sell taho, what else do you do?)

KUYA JUN: Minsan naglalako ako ng bananacue at ng kamote sa daan. (Sometimes, I sell bananacue and camote)

QUESTION 8: Bakit po ninyo napili magbenta ng taho? (Why did you choose to sell taho?)

KUYA JUN: Ung taho kasi, naging parte na ng buhay ng Pilipino. At, lahat kasi gusto ng taho. (Taho already became a part of our culture and everyone wants taho.)

QUESTION 9: Mga anong oras po kayo natatapos magbenta ng taho? (At what time do you finish selling taho?)

KUYA JUN: Kapag gabi na. Kasi wala ng bumubili kapag ganoong oras. (I finish at around nighttime.)

QUESTION 10: Kung bibigyan po kayo ng pagkakataon na magkaroon ng ibang trabaho, ipagpapalit niyo po ba ang pagbenta ng taho? (Given the chance of a better opportunity, will you exchange it for your occupation as a taho vendor?)

KUYA JUN: Marahil, hindi. Iba kasi itong trabaho ko. Hindi lang ako basta-basta nagbebenta ng taho, nagdadala din ako ng saya sa mga taong napagbebentahan ko nito. (Maybe, not. My occupation is different. I just don’t sell taho, I also give happiness to the people I sell taho to.)

As I finished my interview with Kuya Jun, as well as the taho I bought from him, I realized that there is more to taho vendors that I’ve expected.

Hindi lang ako basta-basta nagbebenta ng taho, nagdadala din ako ng saya sa mga taong napagbebentahan ko nito. Of all of Kuya Jun’s responses, this would definitely have a space in my book. He regards his job as something that makes people happy and not just an avenue of earning money. If most people will think this way, the world will definitely be a better place to live in.

# hang kool =)P!

  doodle mehn! ^_^